What a day

I took Kent to the airport this afternoon. He is away to South Africa for three weeks. He travels a lot. I'm usually not so bothered by his leaving. This time, it was different for me. This really has affected me. I worry. I'm sad he's gone for so long. I went over everything maybe six times... did you remember this? did you remember to do that? do you have this packed?

It was nervous energy really. You live with someone as long as we have, and you tend to get comfortable with having each other around. It's like having and old friend around. Or feeling the warmth of the sun on your back. So when that leaves you, you are sad. But in a way, it shows me how lucky we are. After all this time together, I must love him so deeply to be so protective and concerned. He is quite simply... my life. I love him.

I'm going to spend my energies working towards my vacation to Idaho in mid June. I leave June 14th (will miss Boston Pride this year), but something had to give. The schedules just weren't working out. So, I'll leave Hartford June 14th and come home on June 21st. Hopefully, it will be a time of meeting old friends, catching up with family, and talking about what's happened since I saw them all last.

A HUGE victory today in California for marriage equality. The state Supreme Court overturned California's Proposition 22, which stated that the people of California only view marriage as "one man, one woman", and that gay couples can have a "domestic partnership" instead. For years, gay couples have been trying to over turn Prop. 22. Indeed, Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed attempts to strike down Prop. 22, saying that it was the will of the people to restrict marriage from gay couples, and he didn't want to usurp that decision.

Today the Supreme court struck down Proposition 22, and the idea that domestic partnerships were good enough. This has huge implications. Unlike Massachusetts, California has no law stating that you can't be married there if your home state will not recognize that marriage. Massachusetts has a law from 1913 stating such. It was created to prevent interracial couples from getting married in Massachusetts. It was never enforced until the Judicial Supreme Court of Massachusetts ruled that gay couples could get married in Massachusetts. Then, the 1913 law was enforced by the state (thank you very much Governor Mitt Romney). Which is why gay couples from outside of Massachusetts cannot go to the state to get married.

California however, does not have such a law. This means that couples from Colorado, Idaho, Washington, Montana, Connecticut, and all the other states can go to California, get married, and return to their home states and insist that their marriage be honored according to the full faith and credit clause in the United States Constitution.

Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof.

In simple terms, y'all play nicely with each other and respect each other's laws. It will be interesting to see where this goes. And, it will be interesting to see if this ruling has any impact on the ruling that the Connecticut Supreme Court will soon deliver in exactly the same issue.